Kid Reporter: A Super Bowl Location

If I could go to one Super Bowl, what city/stadium would I go to? I would love to go to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Since they don't have Super Bowls in outdoor cold stadiums, my second choice stadium is the Arizona Cardinals, because it is warm there. The Arizona Cardinals stadium is where this year's Super Bowl will be. The stadium is cool because they can move the field from indoors to outdoors.
Joe

The NFC Just Keeps Getting Stronger

I believe that there are multiple teams that are going to exceed expectations and improve over last season. I think the teams that will see the most improvement are the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers. The Redskins were 3-13 last season and the Packers were 8-7-1. Both teams were hampered with injuries last year and acquired new players over the offseason.

The Washington Redskins had Robert Griffin III injured the whole season. However he played through it, which didn't help them. He will come back this year healthy, which will help the Redskins because no team can be good without a healthy starting quarterback. The Redskins also signed DeSean Jackson, one of the most explosive and dynamic players in all of the NFL.

The Green Bay Packers had Aaron Rodgers out for most of the season with a broken collarbone. Along with Aaron Rodgers hurt a few other quarterbacks that were on the team got injured. Without a consistent starting quarterback for any team you know that they're going to have trouble. One of the best linebackers, Clay Matthews, was also injured so the Packers had big injuries on both offense and defense. They now got some key players for the defense with Julius Peppers and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Both teams got veterans from free agency and also picked up some key positions in the draft for their teams.

Don't forget to Back-the-Pack and cheer on Eddie Lacy in the Pro Bowl.

Seattle Moving On?

I believe that the best game this week will be between the Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco 49ers. I also believe that the Seahawks will win. They're both in the same division and they played each other twice already in the regular season. They both won one game against each other. Seattle's win was by a bigger margin though.

The 49ers are going to have to run the ball more if they want to win this game. Collin Kaepernick is more known for his running than his passing. He isn't as accurate as most quarterbacks, so if they pass the ball a lot, Seattle will get some interceptions.

All Seattle has to do is what they normally do and run the ball. They also will have to send pressure because the 49ers are scarier running the ball than passing it and that will stop the running game. Both teams have great defenses so the game will not be as high scoring as the other game. I am predicting that Seattle will win 22-13.

Kid Reporter: Johnny's Game of the Week

This coming Sunday night, the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints will play each other. This is probably going to decide who wins the NFC South. Right now they are both 9-3. Carolina has been on a hot streak winning their last eight games. New Orleans on the other hand, just lost their last game against the Seahawks. I think that Carolina will win because they have a strong defense like Seattle and Seattle showed that a strong defense can stop the Saints.

If the Saints want to win this game they are going to have to get their running game going. They will also need to get Jimmy Graham more involved. Jimmy Graham is their star player, along with Drew Brees on offense. Jimmy has the potential to win the game for the Saints, but he has to catch more short passes instead of just making a few long catches.

In order for Carolina to win, they have to play good defense and Cam Newton has to avoid turning the ball over. Cam Newton will have to make good throws and will also have to run a few times to make the passing easier. This is definitely going to be a competitive and exciting game and I can't wait to watch it.

Will the Broncos Stumble?

I feel like the Denver Broncos COULD go undefeated this year. However, I don't think they WILL go undefeated.

The reason I believe that they will lose at least one game this year is because they will be over confident. The game that they will have the best chance of losing is in week 12, against the New England Patriots. They'll probably be 11-0 at the time, and the game is in New England. The Patriots are 4-0 and haven't played the most difficult teams. Last week they played against Atlanta, who is a challenge for every team, and the Patriots ended up winning. The Patriots had some injuries, but they will all be ready to play in week 12 against the Broncos. This will be the most difficult challenge this year for the Broncos in the regular season.

The most difficult challenge for them in the post season will be the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. That's going to be a real challenge for the Broncos. If no other team beats them, the Packer's may give them their first loss. Don't forget to BACK THE PACK!!!

A Special Day for a Special Player

One of my favorite players ever is Donald Driver. He officially retired Wednesday with a few of his teammates and coaches recognizing him for what he did in his career. Not only was he a great player on the field, but he was an amazing person off the field. Being on and winning Dancing with the Stars was an opportunity for the rest of the county to see the role model we knew we had for many years.

Many people have stories of how Donald touched their lives. I have one myself. The first time I met him I was too young to remember. But the second time I met him happened two years ago. He was at a local grocery store signing one of his books. We had church that night and we were running late. One of my friends just made it in time and they were the last ones in line. When they got up, they asked him if he could wait for me. I still can’t believe it, but he actually waited just for me. When I got there, he said “Are you the kid I’m waiting for?” I got his book, his autograph, and got some pictures with him. How cool is that?

Thank you Donald for the memories. You are a true role model.

Quote

“I promised you all that I would never wear another uniform, so today we make that official. I keep my promise to you. The loyalty you all have instilled in me and my family, I have to keep my loyalty to you, and not play for another team, and to retire in the Green and Gold.”

A Super Bowl for the Ages

This is going to be a great Super Bowl with the Harbaugh brothers playing each other. I think the Ravens are considered the underdogs because of their 10-6 regular season record. Don't let this fool you. We've seen in the last few years that the regular season record doesn't mean a whole lot. I think that Ray Rice will be a significant factor in this game because he can get it done by running and he's involved in the passing game. Torrey Smith is another important player for the Ravens. He's one of Joe Flacco's favorite receivers and is known for his big plays.

In order for the 49ers to win, Collin Kaepernick will need to run like he did against the Packers. He had 181 yards and two touchdowns in just 16 attempts. So my prediction for this game is the Ravens will win 34-27.

I can't wait! I love the Super Bowl and everything that goes along with it: hype, food, commercials, cheering. A tradition that my family does every year, is that we get together with the families of some of my dad's old high school friends.

Have fun cheering for your favorite Super Bowl team and don't forget to Back-the-Pack next year!

Let the Playoffs Begin

The Packers have made the playoffs and they could have had a bye week right away, but they lost to the Vikings in Week 17. They now they have to play the Vikings again in the first week of the playoffs. I think they'll win the Super Bowl because Charles Woodson might be coming back this week and he was the defensive player of the year 2 years ago.

Their toughest challenge to get to the Super Bowl is beating the 49ers. They beat us earlier in the year and I think they are one of the best teams in the NFC. If the Packers do make it to the Super Bowl, that will be another tough game and I'm guessing it will be against the Houston Texans. The Texans and the 49ers are way different. The 49ers have a great defense while the Texans have an amazing offense. These will be the toughest games for the Packers if they are going to win the Super Bowl.

NFC East Playoffs

One of the closest divisions right now is the NFC East.

In that division are the Giants who are 8-5, the Redskins who are 7-6, the Cowboys who are 7-6, and the Eagles who are 4-9. My prediction is that the Redskins are going to win that division. Even though the Giants are leading by a game, they have two tough games coming up. They have to play the Falcons and the Ravens. The Redskins have to play two teams under .500 and the Cowboys. I think that they'll win all three of those games. The Redskins are also the best in divisional games, so if it comes to a tie, they might win it. The Redskins also have a four game winning streak.

The other teams that I think that will win their division are the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans, the Green Bay Packers, and the San Francisco 49ers. The teams that won their division already are the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots, and the Denver Broncos.

The teams that I think will get the wildcard spots are the Chicago Bears, the New York Giants, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

RG3 Proves His Value

I think the rookie with the most potential is Robert Griffin III. He is tied for the most rushing touchdowns (four) in the NFL even though he is a quarterback. He also has the fourth best QB rating. He has led the Redskins to 2-2. That's a pretty good start for the Redskins, considering they went 5-11 last year.

For him to improve, RGIII has to throw more passes because his team runs the ball a lot. He has thrown the ball 68 fewer times than Drew Brees. Since he is a fast quarterback, if he can't find a man right away, he will just tuck the ball and run. He needs to move around in the pocket and wait for a man to get open and not just run the ball if no one is open. If his team throws the ball more, I think he could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Johnny's Fantasy Tips

My big picks have been Arian Foster and the Houston Texans defense. Arian Foster is not the biggest surprise because of how well he player last year, so a lot of people have been also playing him. The Houston Texans defense was probably a bigger surprise, averaging 24 points a game. They only allowed Miami to score 10 points in their first game and Jacksonville 7 points in their second game.

My big disappointment has been Aaron Rodgers. I think Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL, but he hasn't been able to show it for the first two weeks. I haven't given up on him because they played a tough 49ers defense in Week 1, and then they played the Bears in Week 2. Against the Bears, once the Packers got a lead they started running the ball way more than they usually do. I expect Aaron Rodgers to get back to his usual self and have some big upcoming games.

Who Is Your Week 1 QB Pick?

Have you signed up for the NFLRUSH Fantasy Football yet? If not, you'll have to sign up. It's free, it's fun, and you can win amazing prizes. If you're not already registered on NFLRUSH, you'll just have to create a user name and password. Your user name can be anything you want, from "BackthePack," to "Sharon's#1," to made up names like "Protangler." Just make it fun!

For your week one tip, the player you want to make sure is on your team is Aaron Rodgers. Last year, he was in the top five for passing yards even though he sat out the last regular season game against the Detroit Lions. If Rodgers would have played that game and had the same stats that his backup Matt Flynn put up, he would have had five more touchdown passes than the leader.

The main thing that separates Aaron Rodgers from any other quarterback is his QB rating. He had the best single-season passer rating ever. His QB rating was 11.9 points better than the next best quarterback and only 35.8 points away from the perfect QB rating.

Packer's Training Camp

"When I said I will be a Packer for life, it is now true." "Packer for life." Donald Driver

The Packers need to work on their defense during their training camp this season. They allowed more yards on defense than any other team in the NFL. Most of those yards were in passing, as they were also last in passing yards allowed in a game. I think they allowed so many passing yards because the other team's quarterbacks always had a lot of time in the pocket. They could never create pressure and were tied for third to last with only 29 sacks the whole season.

In the Draft, six out of eight of their picks were defensive players. The Packers picked six straight defensive players to start out the Draft. Now that they have the players to fill the positions that they needed help with, Green Bay needs to start practicing and getting their new players comforable playing together.

The Packers have a great offense. All they need now in order to win another Super Bowl is a better defense than last season.

On a side note, congratulations to Donald Driver for winning the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars! We were rooting for you DD!

2012 Champs vs. 2011 Champs

The game I am most looking forward to in this upcoming season is the Green Bay Packers against the New York Giants.

The game will be on Sunday, November 25 at 7:20 p.m. I’m looking forward to this game because it’s the defending Super Bowl Champions against the previous Super Bowl Champions.

I’m expecting a high scoring game. Both defenses allowed over 20 points a game on average in the 2011 season. They also each had very good offenses. The Packers had the most average points per game with 35 while the Giants had an average of 24.6 which is also pretty high.

I’m expecting the Packers to come out with the win, with Aaron Rodgers having an outstanding game. This will be a great game to watch in the 2012 season.

The Pack Will Be Back!

I believe the NFL team that will have the best season next year will be the Green Bay Packers. On offense they have last year’s MVP, Aaron Rodgers. They have a really good wide receiver group with Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Randal Cobb and hopefully they can keep Donald Driver who is one of my favorite players. They also have a great tight end in Jermichael Finley, who just signed a new two year contract for $15 million dollars.

The biggest question is how good the Packers’ defense will be next year. They had one of the best defenses two years ago, but fell to become one of the worst ones last year. Hopefully Nick Collins can come back from his injury and be as good as he was. We then just need to draft a good defensive end to take the constant double team off of Clay Mathews.

Did You Say Playoffs?

Can you believe the NFL season is coming to an end already? The playoffs are coming soon!

I'm most excited to watch the Packers this upcoming playoffs. The Packers are going to be in the playoffs for sure again this year. They have a chance to not only get a bye in the first week, but also to get home field advantage for every game except the Super Bowl.

Although the Packers made it to the Super Bowl last year without the bye or any home games, getting a bye and being able to play at Lambeau Field would be a huge advantage! I can already hear the crowd chanting "Go Pack Go" "Go Pack Go".

What makes the playoffs so exciting is knowing that it's a do-or-die situation. Last year it was so exciting watching the Packers play the Eagles, Falcons, and the Bears.

I think the most exciting game last year was against the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers won 48-21. My favorite play of that game was when Tramon Williams returned an interception for a touchdown right before halftime. By the time he made it to the end zone, the clock had already hit zero.

Green Bay Packers: Looking for Perfection

With last week's win, the Packers are 12-0 and they have a spot in the playoffs for sure. They can't relax or get too comfortable though. Their next goal is to get home field advantage and get a bye in the first week of the playoffs. If they get the bye in the first week, they only need to win two games to get in the Super Bowl!

Winning the Super Bowl is the most important thing, however joining the 1972 Dolphins in winning every game including the Super Bowl is another huge goal. Wouldn't that be amazing? I hope the Packers can do it!

Johnny's Week 10 Pick

The best performer on my NFLRUSH Fantasy team last week was Aaron Rodgers. He scored 38 points by throwing for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran for 54 yards.

I will play him again next week against the Vikings. The Vikings are ranked 28 in pass defense. They allow an average of 273.6 passing yards a game on defense. The last time Rodgers played the Vikings, he threw for 335 yards and had 3 touchdowns. He only had 8 yards running though. He is probably one of the safest players you can have because he got at least 25 points every week except for his bye week.

Brady Shines Again

Hi NFL Rushers, how have your fantasy picks been doing? My best fantasy player has been Tom Brady. In week one, he had 517 yards and four touchdowns against Miami. He had one of the best touchdown passes I've seen. The Patriots were trapped on their own one yard line and had 99 yards left to get a score. Brady went in a shotgun formation, so he was about 3 to 4 yards deep in his own end zone. It was in the fourth quarter with 5:57 to go. Brady passed to Wes Welker who had only one guy covering him. After the throw, another defensive player tried to intercept the ball and ran right in front of Welker, but missed the ball. Welker caught the ball in stride, stiff armed the man who was covering him, and ran it all the way for a touchdown.

This past week, Brady had another great week. He threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns. If he would have thrown for five more yards, he would have had the most yards for two consecutive games. The question now is, can he do it again next week against the Bills?

Dwayne Bowe: The Top WR for NFLRUSHFantasy 2011

Who do you think will be the top wide receiver this year? You’re probably thinking either Andre Johnson or Roddy White, aren’t you?

I think the top wide receiver will be Dwayne Bowe. I would go with Andre if I knew he would stay healthy and play all sixteen games, but he seems to always miss a few games.

Roddy White is another great wide receiver. But with Julio Jones coming in, Roddy probably won’t get the ball thrown his way as much.

Now getting back to my pick, Dwayne Bowe. Dwayne didn’t catch any passes in the Chiefs’ first Preseason game, but in the first week the starters only play in a few drives. In the second week, he caught three passes for 43 yards. And in the third week, he had one catch for 11 yards! Dwayne Bowe led in touchdowns last year with 15 touchdowns. The closest player to have as many touchdowns was Calvin Johnson with 12 touchdowns.

As I’m a Packers fan, I’m hoping the Pack will shut him down this Thursday. Don’t forget to Back-the-Pack.

The Pack is Back

"This week has been crazy with all the free agent signings. Chad Ochocinco a Patriot? Reggie Bush a Dolphin?"

Isn’t it fun having football back? This week has been crazy with all the free agent signings. Chad Ochocinco a Patriot? Reggie Bush a Dolphin? It’s going to take me a while to get used to some of these players playing for these different teams.

Although watching the free agent signings is fun, I can’t wait to watch the Packers play again. It’s still hard to believe the Packers won the Super Bowl. The best part is that I think they are going to be even better than they were last year. I can’t wait to see Jermichael Finley playing again. He was such a huge part of the team and he was so exciting to watch before he got hurt and put on IR.

I haven’t heard much, but I hope Donald Driver’s Super Bowl injury to his leg is okay. He’s one of my favorite players and I hope he can play a few more years before riding off into the sunset.

Not An Ordinary Ring

"It's the best ring I've ever seen and I'm not saying it because it's our night. It's an incredible ring."

- Charles Woodson

Have you seen the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV ring yet? The Packers just had a celebration party last week where they got their rings. At the celebration Charles Woodson said "It's all about getting the ring and this seals the deal."

This year's ring is special to me not only because the Packers are my favorite team, but because the ring contains so many freatures that represent the team. One of the things that represents the Packers, are the four diamonds in the corners that represent how many Super Bowl victories the Packers have. It also has the Packers "G" logo in the middle made up of 13 diamonds, representing the team's NFL record 13 championships. Around the logo are 92 more diamonds representing the 92 year history of the Packers.

Each player's ring is personalized with his name and jersey number. His jersey number is circled just like their retro jersey numbers were last season. In addition to the outside of the ring having the Lombardi trophy and Lambeau Field on it, the inside of the ring has the scores of all four of the Packers postseason victories. Another cool thing about the inside of the ring, is that it has the words Mind, Heart, Purpose, Goal, which were the words Woodson used in his pregame speech to the team before they played the Bears in the NFC Championship game.

Hard Work Pays Off

Aaron Rodgers is the hardest worker on the Green Bay Packers. As quarterback, he has to constantly study all of the plays. As team leader, he has to set an example for his teammates on the importance of working hard.

He had to work really hard at the end of last season. The Packers had to win their last two regular season games just to make it in the playoffs. They ended up being one of the Wildcard teams in the NFC along with the Saints and had to play all of their playoff games on the road.

In the first playoff game, Rodgers threw for three touchdowns to beat the Eagles. He scored all of their points and was named the MVP for the game. In the next playoff game, Rodgers passed for 366 yards and three more touchdowns to beat the Falcons 48-21. This was a big win because Matt Ryan had won seven of his eight previous home games. Rodgers then passed for 244 yards and ran for a touchdown to beat the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

All of his hard work paid off when he led the Packers by passing for 263 yards with two touchdowns to beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Being named the Super Bowl XLV MVP was an easy choice.

Protection Mode - Green Bay Packers Draft Analysis

I think the Packers best draft pick this year was Derek Sherrod (offensive tackle Mississippi State) at pick number 32 in the first round. I'll have to agree that it may not have been the most exciting pick. It's always more exciting when your team picks ball handling positions such as quarterback, running back, or wide receiver, but after Ingram went to New Orleans, there wasn't that "sure thing" impact player left. What Sherrod will do is protect that "sure thing" impact player Green Bay already has in Aaron Rodgers.

After suffering from two concussions last year, the Packers need to make sure to protect Rodgers. They need to make sure Rodgers stays on the field for many more years and has the opportunity to repeat in becoming the Super Bowl MVP again.

The NFC North is tough. Since the Packers play their division rivals twice each season, they have Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, Ndamukong Suh, and now Nick Fairley all coming for Rodgers on every play. It's for that reason that I think Sherrod was the best pick the Packers made in the draft.

Watts my pick.?.?.

I hope the Packers pick a defensive end. I hope they do because the Packers could get even more sacks than they did last year. With Cullen Jenkins being a free agent and with Johnny Jolly being suspended, they're going to need someone to help fill that spot. Reviewing some of the mock drafts, DE Cameron Heyward from Ohio State seems to be a popular pick and would be a good fit for a 3-4 defense.

However, due to the fact that the Packers have so much depth and have so many players coming back from injury, they could trade a couple of their picks to move up in the draft. If they would do that, they could get hometown hero DE J.J. Watt from Wisconsin. He's considered to be one of the safest picks. He would also be a good fit for a 3-4 defense and is much more talented than Heyward.